‘Spring Quarterly’ a fine art exhibit at 100 Market

PORTSMOUTH — The Gallery at 100 Market’s “Spring Quarterly” exhibit features 23 artists and includes more than 100 works over four floors of public space.

Featured artists include Lennie Mullaney, Patricia Kaufman and Cindy Rizza, each bringing something both unique and important to the seacoast visual art landscape.

“Spring Quarterly” opens with an artists’ reception on Friday, May 10, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Gallery at 100 Market, 100 Market St., Portsmouth NH. The exhibit runs through July 19.

The Gallery at 100 Market is a patron-sponsored gallery, established to advance the artist’s business of one, by promoting sales and attracting scouts from other galleries.

“Its imperative we maintain a high quality of art to attract the serious collector and other galleries,” says Michael Simchik gallery patron and 100 Market owner. “We think viewers will agree this is an outstanding show. Materials are probably more varied than in any earlier exhibit, featuring cut out cartoons to photo realist paintings, we have styles covered as well.”

Mullaney was invited to exhibit after her initial juried works were so well received. This show’s body of work, with its limited palette and energetic strokes and markings, will again focus on bridges and “surrounding grounds.”

“The bridge is there as a symbol of the semi urban lifestyle impacting and pushing up against the beautiful, natural surroundings,” says Mullaney. “There is always an accommodation and compromise made and that struggle interests me.”

Kaufman, renowned for her mastery of color, has painted on the seacoast for four decades, switching between expressionistic and abstract, and figurative and landscape. The current Kaufman collection features her haunting figurative work.

“Patricia rarely exhibits on the seacoast now. We were fortunate enough to have her landscapes in 2012,” say Simchik. “The reaction was so strong we invited her back to exhibit her figurative work.”

Rizza was a popular member of the Three Graces Gallery stable. When Three Graces closed seemed important to keep Rizza’s photo realist’s conversation going within the community.

Martin Coyle is among a number of first time artists. His work is described as a cross between Outsider Art, Psychedelic Art and Expressionism. “What it is exciting,” says curator Jeanne’ McCartin. “I think it adds to the very complex conversation this exhibit offers.”